Diagnosis Sane
by calikocat
Summary: Part of the Our Roots Run Deep Series. Side fic to Knight's Lament. Focuses on characters from Diagnosis Murder and Martial Law and their reactions to their sudden exposure to the non-human side of LA. Buffy characters only mentioned.
1. Chapter 1

Diagnosis: Sane

calikocat

Word count: 666

Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel the Series, Diagnosis Murder, and Martial Law do not belong to me. If any of them did...there would be slash in each and every one of them. This work of fanfiction was written for my own personal enjoyment, and no profit has been made from this. No suing.

A/N: This is just a little side fic that takes place during Knight's Lament; it focuses on characters from Diagnosis Murder and Martial Law and their reactions to their sudden exposure to the non-human side of LA.

Warnings: Preslash and moving on into slash in the form of Steve Sloan/Jesse Travis and Sammo Law/Louis Malone. Don't like it then I suggest you hit that back button and get your kicks elsewhere.

XXX

Louis was sitting on his couch, staring at the untouched beer on the coffee table in front of him. It was getting warm, he either needed to drink it or put it back in the fridge. When Sammo picked it up and carried it back into the kitchen he smiled. Guess he wasn't going to drink it tonight after all.

Sammo returned with a sandwich, a pain pill and a glass of water. "You need to eat and take your medicine. I promised Dr. Travis that I would look after you."

"Put it on the table Sammo, I'll get to it, I promise." Sammo did and started to walk away. Louis leaned forward and gently grasped his arm. "Sit with me a while Sammo."

"There are dishes in your sink. I am here to help you so you won't pull your stitches."

Louis tugged him a bit closer. "They can wait Sammo."

Sammo still looked a little unsure, but let Louis pull him a bit closer, eventually sitting down beside him. "What is it?"

"I just wanted to talk is all."

"About what?"

"Those kids for a start...so let me get this straight. It wasn't the pain killers, I didn't imagine that happening? Those kids really disappeared in a flash of light."

"It was a portal Louis."

"Uh-uh. You ever see one of those before Sammo?"

"No, that was the first time I have ever seen them."

Louis, who had released his arm, rubbed his face, in a tired gesture. His injured arm was in a sling to restrict its movement and hopefully keep him from pulling any stitches. "But you've seen that kind of thing before."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say anything about it?" 

"It never came up, and you never asked."

"Does everyone in China know?"

"Not everyone, but many do."

"Is it something I should worry about? The demons, vampires, and whatever?"

"No. Many demons live their lives like we do. They go to work, raise their families, and pay taxes."

"And the ones that don't?"

"You are strong. A normal vampire would run away if it saw you fight."

"A normal one huh?"

"Yes. The older vampires do not mingle much with humans; you will probably never see one."

"And the other demons?"

"It is rare for them to attack humans. The place where Xander and his friends live is an exception. There are many demons there; it is a place where they are drawn. But even there many just live their lives."

"Okay."

Sammo smiled. "Was there anything else?"

Louis nodded and reached for Sammo's hand again with his own. "There's a lot Sammo...I don't know how things are in China...but this kind of thing isn't always accepted here. We'd have to be especially careful around other cops."

"What sort of thing?"

Louis smiled and brought Sammo's hand up to his lips and placed a kiss on the knuckles. "This sort of thing."

"You have dated many women."

"And I've been dumped by many women."

Sammo gripped his hand a bit tighter. "I was married once, many years ago, I cared for her greatly."

"I've loved women too Sammo."

"Louis, this sort of thing is even less accepted in China...it isn't illegal now, the law was changed only last year."

"So you don't want to give it a shot?"

Sammo pulled him closer, careful of his injury, and placed a kiss on Louis' lips. "I want to give it a shot. But you will have to be patient."

"I'll do my best Sammo, but you should know, I can be impatient sometimes."

"That is fine, but right now you need to eat your food and take your medicine."

Louis grinned. "Yes dear...I was hoping you'd forget."

"No, now eat."

XXX


	2. Chapter 2

Diagnosis: Sane

calikocat

Word count: 696

A/N: This is just a little side fic that takes place during Knight's Lament; it focuses on characters from Diagnosis Murder and Martial Law and their reactions to their sudden exposure to non-human side of LA.

Special Notes: For anyone familiar with Diagnosis Murder I'm sure you remember how inconsistent some of the canon was. In the first two seasons Mark lived in a nice two-three story house and he had a sister who was played by Betty White. In the rest of the series he lived in a house on the beach, where Steve apparently grew up and Mark had a brother (played by his actual brother), but no mention of a sister. So he's in the beach house, Steve lives downstairs; and Steve, Jesse, and Mark own Barbeque Bob's.

Warnings: Preslash and moving on into slash in the form of Steve Sloan/Jesse Travis and Sammo Law/Louis Malone. Don't like it then I suggest you hit that back button and get your kicks elsewhere.

XXX

"So, Xander and his friends wanted to thank you."

Mark looked up from the steaks he was fixing on the grill. "For what?"

"For that vampire you and Jack took out, apparently they've never heard of a vampire that could fly."

"I thought you didn't believe us about that?"

"I didn't believe in a lot of things. Vampires, monsters under the bed, hell ... but it's kind of hard to ignore something when it smacks you in the face."

"Don't I know it, and the things those kids face, you heard Xander when was on the phone. A bunch of kids shouldn't be the ones doing all that."

"I don't think they have much choice."

Both men looked up to see Jesse bringing the bowl of salad out onto the patio. "Jesse?"

"My great aunt on my mom's side was a potential. When she was ten she was sent to a special boarding school, at least that was what the family was told anyway."

"Potential?"

Steve grimaced. "Sammo filled me in on that part. A potential is a girl, one that could become a Slayer."

"Like Buffy."

"Yeah, Sammo said that a potential could become a Slayer between the ages of twelve and eighteen. The Watchers' Council tries to get them early so they can raise them and train them...Dad, the steaks."

Mark jumped a bit and turned the grill off, moving the steaks onto a platter. "What if they don't become Slayers?"

"Well, in my aunt's case the counsel sent her back...but no one has really seen her for a long time. Being with them changed her and she didn't know how to act around people anymore."

Mark grimaced. "They turned a little girl into a soldier, and when she wasn't useful anymore they just threw her away...ya know...Buffy didn't seem like she'd been trained like that."

"More like brain washed if you ask me...but you're right, she acted like a typical teenager...one that could break me in half anyway."

They settled at the patio table for lunch and Jesse grinned. "So what did you think of Lorne?"

Steve choked on a bite of steak and stared at his best friend. "What?"

"The owner of Caritas. That's the bar you were at right?"

"Jesse ... why do you know about a demon bar?"

Jesse grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yeah I would actually."

"Then I'll pick you up at eight tonight and give you a tour."

"A tour?"

"Of the friendlier demon hangouts."

"And how do you know about all this?"

Jesse shrugged. "I had a roommate in college who was part demon, he had an asthma attack, and I had to have a crash course in demon medicine. Sometimes they need different medicine than we do, even though they can catch colds and the flu."

"Now that could be handy." Mark smiled and took a bite of salad.

"There's a clinic I can take you too, you can even take some classes there. You never know when you could end up with a demon in the ER."

"I'll take you up on that."

Steve shook his head. "It scares me a little that you know so much about all this."

Jesse flashed disappointed baby blues at him in a pout. "So you don't wanna go demon bar hopping with me?"

Steve hurried to chase away the expression. "I didn't say that, I'll be ready at eight. Should I dress casual?"

"Casual is always good for the first date."

Steve froze, staring at Jesse in a sort of shock. "Jess?"

Mark however grinned. "Do you two lovebirds want me to leave?"

"Dad!"

"What? You two have been dancing around each other since you met. Amanda and I were just about ready to lock the two of you in a closet together."

"I..."

"Steve?"

Steve looked from Mark to Jesse, sighed and smiled. "I'll be ready and casual at eight, Jess."

Jesse grinned.

XXX


End file.
